Guardianship of a Certain Cub-REWRITE
by Riderkitty
Summary: With Jack missing, and Alex only fifteen, he has to move in with a temporary guardian. When he arrives, he gets the shock of the day. How will he live with this person for an indefinite amount of time. How will they get along? How much trouble would he get it for attacking the very amused Ben?
1. Chapter 1

**Hi! I'm back again. I've been rereading some of my stories on this site, and boy, are they cringy. This rewrite will probably be cringy too, but hopefully it won't be as awful. I would love criticism so I can improve, because I want to make an original story on wattpad, so I need all the help I can get. Two notes before you read please:**

 **1) Sorry if you notice a lot of errors. I'm typing this on my phone (iPhone 4s, so yeah, small screen). My computer is acting up and will not open anything. I apologize.**

 **2) I'm thinking about writing another Alex Rider fanfiction, this one with his guardian being a new SAS member I create, based on Bear from Amitai's Hell is Other People. Please tell if that should be a thing.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own Alex Rider, Anthony Horowitz's books, nor will I ever. Everything you do not recognize is mine.**

 **Thanks, and please enjoy! On with the story.**

 **PS: Jack is alive in this story. Mr. Blunt is gone. Also, my computer is now working, lol. SLIGHT SPOILERS FOR THE NEW BOOK!**

* * *

Alex glanced up sharply, staring at Mrs. Jones in shock. "What?"

Mrs. Jones sighed. "Alex, I know this may be hard for you to hear, but it is the truth. About an hour ago, while you were in school, Jack was kidnapped. I have people trying to find her now as we speak."

"Let me help," Alex pleaded. "It's me Scorpia wants. I can go and get her back. Just let me try."

Mrs. Jones was already shaking her head. "I'm afraid I can't let you do that, Alex. We don't even know where they have taken her and we can't risk losing you. It's not worth it. You know that."

Alex hung his head in despair. He had to do something. There must be something, anything. He racked through his brain for ideas, but he had nothing. He had absolutely nothing, and that killed him.

As if sensing his internal battle, Mrs. Jones rested a hand on his shoulder gently. "We will find her, I promise. They couldn't have gotten far in an hour," she said. "In the meantime, my priority is you. I already have a temporary guardian assigned to you who agreed to help on such short notice. He will take good care of you till we can find Ms. Starbright."

He nodded numbly, standing up. He didn't even care who it was. It could be Wolf, for all he cared. None of it mattered to him when Jack was out there with assassins that were willing to kill her to get to him. This was just a temporary stop in the road if Jack was found. When she was found, he corrected himself. She would be found and everything would go back to as normal as it got for them. He just wanted her back.

Mrs. Jones shook his hand, and gave him a loving look, something he had never seen out the head of MI6. It made him happy and mad at the same time. She cared, but at the same time, she didn't. It was just her job to. "An agent will take you to your house to collect your belongings, then you'll head over to your temporary guardian's flat. I hope to see you again with good news, Alex."

Alex walked across the small office quietly. The door creaked as he opened it, and impulsively, Alex looked back, noticing Mrs. Jones staring at him, unusual to how she acts. Normally, she is already onto something more important on her desk. "Mrs. Jones?" he asked hesitantly.

Mrs. Jones blinked, interrupted from her thoughts. "Try to be careful. I know you have a knack of trouble finding you usually."

Alex smiled faintly. "Yeah, I'll try." As he closed the door, he saw that Mrs. Jones already had a new file in her hands, fully engrossed in it. "Yeah," he whispered to himself. "Usually it does."

* * *

A familiar face glanced up as Alex appeared in the hallway, faint light filtering onto his face, showing how...happy he was. "Ben?"

Benjamin Daniels flashed a quick grin at him as he took in who it was. "Alex, it's good to see you. Well, in a way, it isn't because of the circumstances, but-"

"Yeah, it's good to see you again too," Alex interrupted, instantly cheered up. Ben was an part of the SAS unit he had trained with before he went on his first mission. He met him again on two missions, those times as an MI6 agent, no longer part of the SAS. He was pretty glad to hear the familiar Liverpool accent once more. "So, you're the agent that is taking me to the new guardian."

Ben nodded enthusiastically, starting to walk down the hallway with Alex right behind him. "Yep. Mrs. Jones thought it would be best for you to start this out with someone you recognized. So, it's not so hard on you and everything. I personally think that it wouldn't have really made a difference, but it was still good to see you alive no matter." Ben paused to click the elevator button, glancing back at him. "You know, you're pretty cool and chill, but that might just be because you're a teenager. Teenagers are always fun to be around. They just don't care what people think of them. I wish I could be more relaxed like you. It's kind of hard to when you have all these serious people as coworkers though," he said, lowering his voice as a petite woman in grey apparel walked out of the elevator, glancing briefly at them. If looks could kill, then that would have just been two birds with one stone, Alex thought.

Alex laughed to himself. Ben sure hadn't been like _this_ the last time he had seen him. Now, it wouldn't be so bad if he was his guardian, Alex mulled over.

"What are you smiling at?" Ben asked, frowning as the elevator doors closed behind them.

Alex's reflection in the steel doors smiled right back at him. "Nothing."

* * *

It took about ten minutes for them to get from the bank to his house. The wind whipped through his school uniform, and he pulled the jacket closer to him, shivering in the frigid, London air. Already, faint streaks of pink dotted the sky, encouraging him to hurry before the night came and it became colder than it already was.

He rushed to get the front door open and get out of the cold. What he saw, though, made him freeze in his tracks.

The house was an absolute mess. Chairs were thrown on their sides, papers were all over the floor, and Jack's framed picture of her parents was cracked and tossed to the side carelessly. Alex felt his chest tightening as he gazed in horror at it all, and he felt like sobbing in despair. Ben, who had been silent until then, put a hand on his shoulder, causing him to spin around and stare at his sad face. It was the same look Mrs. Jones had been giving him. "Go get your stuff. Looking at all this will just upset you more. Agents have already cleared the house, so it's safe for now," he said quietly.

Alex stared at Ben for a moment, unable to tear his gaze away, to glimpse at the ruined living room again.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Ben made the decision and looked down, shuffling his feet awkwardly. "I can go with you if you want," he added, unsure.

"No, I'll be fine," he said. He started towards the stairs on the far side of the room, watching his step without really looking. If he did, he knew he wouldn't be able to hold it in. Not again. Not while Ben had that pitying look on his face. "It just shocked me, that's all." He avoided looking further into the house, but went up to his room instead, leaving Ben behind in the mess.

When he reached the top of the stairs, he hesitantly opened his door, which was on the right, afraid to look at what else had been done. Slowly, unsure, he stepped forward, looking past the door into his pristine bedroom. It seemed like the assassin hadn't gotten to his room before they saw Jack. Alex didn't really know if he was glad for that or not, but it didn't really matter. He wouldn't have even cared if the assassin took some top secret file on him. It wasn't as if they didn't know already. They wouldn't have taken Jack, or screwed his life over if they didn't already know everything about him.

Alex sighed loudly. Thanking about it all and upsetting himself wasn't helping the case. He just needed to grab some clothes and get out of there fast before he did something he would regret.

He grabbed several sets of clothes from his chest, not really looking to see if anything matched. He padded over to the far side of the room, at the window, staring down at the street below. They was a few kids out and about, playing a game of some sorts across the road, but other than that, it looked pretty quiet. No one probably even heard it happen. He felt like this was slightly familiar, familiar emotions, and in that instance he remembered the night he found out that his uncle was killed in a 'car accident.' That night, he had stared at the police cars in defeat, dread already filling through him as they had knocked on the door. This time, there was no one there, no one who would understand. He was alone, in a sort. He had no one else that really knew him, that would reassure him that it would be alright. He just had to suck it up this time.

A few minutes later, he tore his gaze from the window, staring at his room for the last time in what would probably be a while. He was about ready to head back downstairs, when on second thought, he grabbed his extra set of school uniforms and his homework. He was already behind. Neglecting it would only make him more behind, and Jack wouldn't like that, he thought sadly.

Alex glanced around the room, looking for anything else he needed. He ended up grabbing his laptop Ian had gotten him, and a picture of Ian and him when they went to Spain a couple of years ago. He zipped the duffle bag up and walked down the stairs, and saw Ben straighten up from where he was leaning against the wall near the door.

"You ready to go, kiddo?" he asked, slipping his phone in the pocket of his trousers.

Alex nodded, looking around sadly, but surely. "As ready as I'll ever be."

Ben gave him an affectionate pat on the back at his response. "That's the spirit. Now let's go meet your new babysitter," Ben chuckled, opening the front door.

Alex frowned. "Who is it, anyway? Someone I know?"

All of a sudden, Ben was looking at everything but him. He was staring intently at the game across the street, seeming so fascinated all of a sudden, as if he hadn't ever watched kids having fun before. "I remember doing that. The good old days. Sure has been a while though," Ben said distracted, frowning to himself.

"Ben.." Alex warned.

"You'll... uh... you'll find out soon enough," he said. "You probably don't want to know right now."

"I do."

Ben finally turned to him, raising his eyebrows. "Trust me. You don't."

That made him highly suspicious about who it was, but he decided he didn't have the energy to question it right at the moment. Instead, he followed Ben out the door into the cool breeze, pausing to pick up a picture of Jack that had been laying by the door, unseen till now. With one last look into the still house, he closed the door and locked it up, locking up his past right with it.

* * *

Ben didn't try to talk to Alex in the car, and he was glad for it. He wouldn't have even known what to say after something like that.

Instead, he took in his surroundings, catching every detail as sun glared into his eyes, descending for the day. Alex tried his best to keep a record of the route in his head for later, in case it all went up in flames, which it probably would, if the bad feeling in his gut was right. He faintly noticed that after a short while, they had left Chelsea behind, heading out of the bigger parts of the city to the suburbs. It was quieter here, with the houses spaced out more with more grass and dogs in what seemed like every yard.

He noticed Ben glancing at him out of the corner of his eyes every once and a while, but Alex ignored it. Instead, he tried to think of who his guardian could be. Ben had said he didn't want to know, but he already had a bad feeling of who it could be. There was only so many people that they both knew together, and most thinking about living with any of them had his head spinning already. As they got closer and closer to his new house, the bad feeling kept on building and building within him. He opened the window and tapped a beat nervously against the side of the door, freaking out even more as every minute passed by.

They had been driving for about ten minutes when they slowed down, and pulled off onto a paved driveway, arriving at a pretty normal sized house. Alex sucked in a quick breath, taking it all in, looking deeply at what would be his new house for a while. There was a brand new Camaro parked in front of a garage, and Ben pulled up right behind it and killed the engine.

"We're here," he chimed, killing the silence as they sat there, still as everything around them.

Alex glared at him, not moving to unbuckle his seat belt. This was really happening. He couldn't move if he wanted to. In a flash, he saw Ben roll his eyes and snapped his hand forward, unbuckling his seat for him, solving the problem. "We have to get out sometime kiddo," he joked. Alex continued to sit there, not saying a word.

Ben sighed. "He's really not that bad." Still nothing. Silence, then Ben opened his door, and moved out of Alex's sight, getting his bags from the trunk.

Alex huffed in annoyance, opened the door, got out, and slammed it behind him, folding his arms over his chest in a very teenagery way. Ben raised an eyebrow, staring at him from across the roof of the car. Alex stared back. When Ben broke eye contact, Alex muttered, "You sure I can't come back with you?"

Ben glanced back at him, amused. "And put up with that attitude?" he joked. "No can do, kiddo. Jones' orders. I would like to keep my job, in case you were wondering."

"I wasn't," Alex muttered lightly.

Ignoring him in amusement, Ben turned his back to Alex, and trampled through the grass. Alex reluctantly trailed behind him, and walked up the stairs to the concrete porch. Ben smiled faintly in triumphant at him before knocking lightly on the wooden door. After a moment or so, Alex heard footsteps padding to the door from inside, and he took a step to the left, using Ben's height to his advantage. He definitely not hiding. He was... observing from a safe distance. He was a spy after all, he reasoned. He saw Ben chuckling at his action, and raised a hand in the air mockingly, ready to hit Ben in the back if the door hadn't of swung open at that given moment.

Alex heard a small gasp of surprise as his mystery guardian took in Ben. "Fox?" a Hispanic accented voice asked in shock.

"Yeah, it's been a while, hasn't it?" Ben commented lightly. He rolled his eyes from behind Ben.

Alex heard the voice chuckle lightheartedly. "It sure has. Why are you here, though? Is it about that charge MI6 is sending me?"

"Uh... yeah, it is," Ben said slowly, jabbing an elbow behind him all to obviously, hitting Alex slightly in the stomach, hinting him to speak up.

Alex groaned to himself. He might as well get it over with now, before Ben came up with other, more painful ways of getting him to speak. With a gulp, he popped his head around, looking around Ben's shoulder. "Hi-"

Alex cut himself off as he gazed at his new guardian, feeling the third shock of the day hitting him pretty hard. "Wolf?" he asked, eyes wide, staring at the very familiar soldier standing before him.

* * *

 **SO, how was it? I think it's pretty cringy, but oh well. Tell me if it needs more details. Its pretty short, but it is only the first chapter. I hope they will get longer as more chapters are released, but I hope you liked it!**


	2. Chapter 2

Ch. 2

Hey guys! I've motivated myself to sit down and write again. This will probably turn out to be a late update due to how much time I've given myself to update this. I will try to get this posted on Sunday, but I do have church, so... I'll try my best.

I just want to thank all my reviewers (Night Raiders, Ava Simbelmyne, and Teddybearcrazy). Your reviews mean a lot to me and they made my day. SO thank you.

Night Raiders: Thanks! I'm glad you don't think it is cringy. I self doubt myself all the time, so thanks for the encouragement.

Ava Simbelmyne: I've been pretty well lately. I'm super busy with homework and I'm sorry I haven't messaged in a while. Again, I'm really, really happy to see the encouragement. It's really making me feel more confident.

Teddybearcrazy: Comments do mean a lot to me. Comments, follows, and favorites help me see that people are actually reading something I'VE written, although I don't directly ask for comments. I'm glad you enjoyed reading this and I will certainly try to update as much as possibly because I definitely want people reading this. So thanks for taking the time to comment!

PS. I had another reviewer. Thank you guest for reviewing. I can't give you proper recognition for your review because I don't know your username, but whoever you are, I'm glad that you took the time and reviewed, so thank you!

I hope you enjoy what's to come!

Disclaimer: I do not own Alex Rider or any part of the Alex Rider series, including Wolf and Fox sadly. All credits goes towards Anthony Horowitz.

* * *

They both stared at each other in shock, and Alex faintly heard Ben chuckling away in the background. He was sure glad that someone was getting a kick out of this whole situation, because he sure wasn't, and from the look on Wolf's face, he wasn't either. To be honest, Mrs. Jones was probably having a good old time too, now that he thought about it. It would certainly explain that reassuring smile on her face when he was about to leave. She was reassuring him from what was to come, he thought glumly.

Alex tore his gaze away from Wolf's and took a step forward to glare at Ben. He knew all along, and he didn't even say anything; there was no way he was going to get away scotch free.

Ben, seeing his death glare, stopped laughing instantly and raised his hands in surrender. "I told you that you probably didn't want to know," he said hesitantly, glancing between Alex and Wolf.

"Probably?!" Alex yelled as Wolf said, "What do you mean, he probably didn't want to know?"

"That's not important!" Ben exclaimed quickly, pushing Alex forward even more, while Alex pushed back. He was almost nose to nose with Wolf, and he wasn't going to get between the two of them because Ben was afraid of getting attacked. It'd teach him to shut his mouth once in a while.

"It's getting pretty cold out here. Why don't we come in, and you can show Alex where his room is," he suggested after a moment of unsuccessfully trying to push Alex, chuckling nervously.

Wolf glared at Ben for a moment, saying nothing. There was dead silence. Nothing. Nada. Even Alex was starting to get uncomfortable.

After the point was made, Wolf finally slid over, allowing them entrance. "In," he grunted. " But don't expect me to feed you, Fox."

* * *

Alex sighed as he truffled through wads of paper, searching for a phone book or anything that had a take-out menu. He assumed it would have been easier, seeing as Wolf probably didn't get out much, revealed through the amount of take out boxes in the trash across the kitchen. On second thought, that man really needed to learn how to socialize and get out, Alex thought, smiling to himself.

Alex continued shuffling through the papers, but jerked in surprise when he saw a gun under the pile of papers he had been leafing through. Why on earth did Wolf have a gun in the kitchen, of all places? Was he expecting to be murdered in the midst of eating cereal at seven in the morning? It wasn't as if he had used this particular gun for a while by how hidden it was under the masses of paper, unless he had plopped all this paperwork onto the island overnight. Wolf had probably been looking for the gun for a while. Alex hesitated. On impulse, he tucked it inside the waist of his pants carefully after checking to make sure the safety was on before he could change his mind. He would return it... eventually...for a price. Wolf probably wasn't in desperate need of it anyway if he hadn't found it by now.

A few minutes later, he found a notebook paper with multiple restaurants listed that apparently had take-out. He snatched the home phone he found also laying in the paper catastrophe and dialed a number at random.

Almost immediately, someone picked up the other side of the line. "Hello, this is Frank's Chips, how may I help you?" an overly thrilled voice said in record timing.

Alex raised an eyebrow in surprise. How could someone possibly be this happy on a Monday? "Oh, uh, do you still deliver at this time of the evening?" he stuttered.

"We sure do!" the man replied. "What can I get for you today?'

"What do you serve?" Alex put the phone against his shoulder and pulled a surprisingly new stool from the bar and set it by the island while listening.

"Well, our special is fish and chips..." he suggested.

Alex sat down and absently mindedly nodded before realizing the man couldn't see him through the phone. "Yeah, I'll take three of those, please."

"No problem, sir. is that all?"

"Yeah, that'll be all, thank you."

"Okay, your order total will be £18." Alex heard the man pause, fumbling around in the background. "Can I have a name and address to deliver your fish and chips?"

Alex eyes widened. He had forgotten all about the address in the mad scramble for finding a number to get food. "Can I have a moment please," he asked the man awkwardly.

The man didn't even hesitate before responding. "Sure thing, sir. I'll put you on hold." Alex heard a click and set the phone down calmly. After he had done that, he ran towards the door, peeking out into the empty living room. He heard shouting from upstairs and winced. He definitely wasn't going to get help there. He spun around and searched through the forgotten papers, scrambling to find a bill. He cried in triumphant as he found a hospital bill. It had St. Dominic's address in the top left-hand corner and Wolf's in the middle. Bingo. Alex quickly memorized the address and grabbed the phone again.

"Hey, I'm back," he said breathlessly.

"Okay, so what was that name and address again?" he said sweetly.

"Alex Rider. The address is-" he listed.

There was silence on the other end till he heard a small gasp. Alex frowned slightly. "Is everything alright, sir?"

There was another pause. "Yes, yes," the man grumbled, now grumpy. "My wife just stepped on my foot, that's all."

Alex laughed, relieved. "Oh, okay. How long will it be?"

"However long it takes!" the man snapped, and Alex heard the dial tone. Alex slowly set the phone down on the receiver, confused. That was weird, but as long as he got food, he was okay with it. Alex didn't know how the man got his panties in a wad, but he wasn't about to let that ruin his day even more than it had already been.

* * *

Wolf stared at Fox as if he had grown a second head. "I didn't agree to that!"

As soon as he had invited the two in, he had dragged Fox through the living room and upstairs to his room, out of sight of the prying eyes. Fox had called down for the kid to order some food, which made Wolf even angrier. Wolf had full intention to lash out at Fox as he slammed the door behind him.

Fox held his hands up in peace at his last statement. "It won't be that bad. I'll be there with you so you don't kill Alex."

"That's not what I'm worried about," Wolf muttered.

Fox groaned. "Then what are you worried about?" Wolf watched him carelessly flop down on his bed and tried his hardest not to growl like his namesake.

Instead, Wolf narrowed his eyes at Fox's exaggeration. "You didn't tell me that I had to form a bond with the kid. I was just informed that I had to take him in and feed him or whatever."

"Or whatever?" Fox repeated, agitated. Wolf's eyes snapped up in shock. "He's not some dog! He's a human being who has been through the unimaginable. He just found out that the people who are out to get him kidnapped his guardian and she may possible be dead. We have no way of finding out elsewise."

Wolf sighed at what was revealed and shut his eyes briefly. "I didn't know that."

"You didn't ask." A hand snapped near his face and his eyes sprung open to see Fox eye to eye with him.

"How am I supposed to speak with him? I don't know how to speak to a kid. You know that," Wolf grumbled, trying to show some of the little dignity he had left.

"First of all, he's not a kid, he's a teenager capable of killing you in seconds," Fox corrected him. Wolf gulped. "Second of all, you're going to learn tonight because he'll be staying with you for the three years till he turns eighteen."

Wolf sat there, emotionless.

Fox sighed, finally cooling down at seeing Wolf's expression. "I know, they didn't tell you that and I know you don't want to take care of a teenage spy for that long, but with your injuries, they're not risking sending you back into active duty again. You could probably become a sergeant or an instructor, but your injuries won't allow you to recover fully. This is the perfect opportunity for both you and Alex, and you know it."

"Why are you telling me this? Why didn't they have the guts to face me and tell me what you just said?" Wolf said hoarsely.

Fox lowered his eyes. "I don't know. I just know you'll be honorably discharged in a few weeks."

Wolf breathed in shakily. He wasn't even a soldier anymore. What did that make him then? The SAS was his whole life, and now he had nothing. Nothing but that stupid cat.

He took in a few breaths before he was able to speak again. Thankfully, Fox took it all in silently, non-judgemental. "So, that therapy cat wasn't a joke, was it?"

Fox smiled, relieved that the tension was gone. "Nope, it wasn't. It's here to help you with all the stress from everything. I bet you love it... wait, where is it?"

Wolf shrugged. "I think it's in Alex's room, checking out all the new bags you put in there. I couldn't care less."

Fox gasped dramatically. "That's not true! It can't be."

Wolf rolled his eyes. "It is."

"It is not. Admit it. You have come to love that cat," Fox said, sure of himself and his wild proclamation. Again, they got to the point where they were having a stupid staring contest and Wolf growled, unable to stand it any longer.

"Fine," Wolf sighed. "Will it make you shut up if I tell you that it's starting to grow on me?"

"For now," Fox promised.

"It better."

"When have I ever broken my promises?" Fox exclaimed.

Wolf raised an eyebrow. "You really want me to answer that?"

"..."

"That's what I thought."

* * *

"Are you sure of this?"

Jackson Collins was sure of it. The moment he had heard the name uttered, he was frozen with excitement.

Ever since he had joined Scorpia, he had been known as the little one because of how little he was, how weak he looked compared to others. They hadn't expected him to pass his first test, but he had. There was no backing down now. Not when he had the chance for millions. Not when he could prove himself. Not when he had the chance to destroy Scorpia's greatest enemy currently.

Sure, he felt slightly guilty for turning the kid in, now that he thought of it. He had to admit that Rider had sounded pretty nice over the phone, but he knew it all could have been an act, a cover to disguise what he really was. So, he turned him in.

Soon, he would be out of this chip dump and he could do real mission, however childish it sounded. He didn't care what they thought of him as long as he got more respect and a whole lot more money with it. That's all that mattered to him.

"I'm sure of it, sir. He gave me his new address too," he said without hesitation.

There was a pause as his superior took it all in. Finally, he hissed, "Send the address through the messages. The boss will want to know."

"Yes sir." The boss. The BOSS of all Scorpia. He would have to talk with her?

"Oh, one more thing, Collins." his superior said. Jackson could only imagine the evil grin that had probably lit across his face as he said it and winced internally. Maybe this hadn't been such a good idea afterall...

"Yes sir?"

"Report to base to debrief. Your next mission will be waiting." he commanded. But he was not done speaking. No, not nearly.

Jackson took in a deep breath as he heard the next words. "The next time Alex Rider calls will be his last. You will poison him. He. Will. Die."

* * *

Thirty minutes later saw Wolf, Ben, and Alex (and Jay, the cat) chatting over takeout in the living room (of course the kitchen and dining room has been taken over by paperwork). Fox had paid the bill for the food after being threatened by Wolf lightheartedly. Wolf seemed much more positive and easy going than he first did when he invited them in. Now, he was enjoying his food and talking small talk with Ben about work things. He wasn't talking to Alex directly yet, but Alex knew it was a start in the right direction. Fox most have done a number on him while Alex was getting the food ordered, he thought as his petted Jay's soft, long grey fur as he brushed up against Alex's leg.

"So," Ben began, setting down his tray. "How's school going? Are you catching up on all that make up work?"

Alex nodded. "It's going okay. I haven't been called in for...work... in a while, so I've had time to catch up in some classes. I'm still behind in english and history though, but I'm working on it." He stood up to take his trash to the kitchen, but when he brushed pass Wolf, Wolf reached out to stop him after an obvious nod from Ben.

"Hey, uh, kid.." he said hesitantly. Alex paused. Ben shoved an elbow in Wolf's side, and Wolf turned to glare at him before continuing his train of thought, making Alex a little less tense. "Uh, sorry. It's Alex, right?" Wolf asked.

"Yeah. My name is, uh, Alex Rider," he said nervously.

Wolf attempted to faintly smiled, which turned out more like a grimace, but Alex didn't look a gift horse in the mouth. He smiled back instead, which seemed to boost Wolf's confidence even more. Wolf continued more surely this time. "My name is James Garcia. I, uh, I just wanted to let you know that if you need help in school, all you have to do is ask. My dad was an English major after he retired from the army, and I majored in history before I joined SAS. I'm sure we could figure the rest out together, right?" Ben clapped him on the shoulder and Alex grinned.

"Sure. After all, two minds think alike, right?"Alex joked.

Wolf laughed. "Yeah."

...

Later that night, when Alex snuggled up in his new bed with Jay purring beside him, he had to admit that this was turning out to be alright, even if it was just the first day. Wolf's therapy cat was a pretty nice companion to have around, anyway.

Alex found Wolf having a nice, innocent little cat quite amusing. Wolf swore up and down that the reason why he had a cat instead of a dog was because he was allergic, but Alex believed he really just had a soft spot somewhere buried deep within him. The cat just brings that out of people, no matter how much they resisted.

Alex smiled at the thought and cuddled up with the furry companion, drifting off to the soft sound of purring in his ear.

* * *

Sorry for the late update. I just want to let you know that it's all my cat's fault. Well, not all, but a lot. I can't resist her cuteness!

Anyhow, I want you to know that Alex hasn't forgotten about Jack. He will learn more in the next chapter. I thought he just deserved a little happiness before all the action happens. If you can't already tell, this story doesn't really have a plot and I just enjoy writing it. So I hope you enjoyed reading it, but if not, that's okay. Some people don't get my craziness. Have a good week and I hope to update really soon. Fanfiction is making me really mad right now because it takes of all my edits like bold and italics, and I've put it on several time, gah.


	3. Chapter 3

The faint smell of lemon filled his nose as he walked down the familiar hallway. Chaos surrounded him, but the loud voices, shoving, laughing, and the slamming of locker doors was just a buzzing background noise to Alex.

Most teenagers, if asked, would quickly inform you that they wished they didn't have to go to school. Alex, however, was happy to walk through the hallways again after a long bout of absences. Most of the time he was elsewhere, doing dangerous missions for MI6 with him almost being killed quite often. That resulted in him getting behind in school work and not getting to hang out with his friends much anymore. He was beginning to fear he was slowly losing the little friendships he had left, for he knew each and every time he was gone, he drifted a little more apart from those around him. He had actually just gotten back from a mission and was settling in, _again_ , when trouble stirred up. He got a call from MI6 about a month after the mission to learn that Jack had been kidnapped while he was in school.

The hallways got quieter as people filtered out, heading different ways. A familiar voice stopped Alex and he turned to see Tom Harris grinning at him.

Tom Harris was his best mate. Alex had met Tom about three years ago; when he was on his way home, Tom had been on the curb, wiping blood from his nose after he refused to give his lunch money to Michael Cook for cigarettes. Alex had met the school bully and his two friends the next day, and he taught them a thing or two to remember. Neither Tom or Alex had any more trouble with bullies, or at least, until recently. Ever since then, though, they were partners in crime in just about everything they did together. Tom was even one of the few people who knew about his... job.

"Hey, you won't believe this, but the craziest thing just happened to me." Tom said, a little breathlessly with a spark in his eyes. Suddenly, Alex felt a pang of guilt for how he had been focused on himself all the time, and not Tom. He would try to hang out with him sometime, catch up, but not right now. It was all too fresh and he didn't want to make Tom worry about him. Not anymore. Besides, a thick wave of darkness and grief was suffocating him all of a sudden.

It was hard to ruin Tom's mood, and Alex certainly didn't want to, but he didn't feel like he could tell Tom anything right now. He knew if he stayed and talked, the topic would be brought up eventually and Alex would break down in front of the few remaining students in the school, including Michael Cook who was staring at them suspiciously.

Alex realized he hadn't responded to something Tom had said, and he looked up to see concern in his friend's eyes. He didn't need pity right now. He didn't want Tom feeling even more concerned. He had already worried too much about Alex.

Alex turned away sharply, walking the way he had come. Tom grabbed his shoulder in an attempt to stop him. "Wait, Alex. What's wrong?"

Alex shrugged Tom's hand away, glancing at Mike before turning to Tom and spoke quieter. "Nothing. I've got to go talk to Mr. Darren."

He continued walking up the hallway away from his best friend. "I'll meet you over the weekend," he called back over his shoulder, fearing to look into Tom's eyes anymore. He feared he would see more pity.

"Alex!"

This time, Alex did not stop. He left his friend and a piece of him behind as he turned the corner, exhaling heavily, shutting his eyes briefly as he leaned against the wall.

Alex Rider?" a different voice called out from ahead, and Alex opened his eyes to see Mr. Darren standing on the other end of the hallway. "You okay?" he asked hesitantly.

Surprisingly, Alex noticed no hint of pity in his teacher's eyes. Only genuine concern and curiousness a teacher would be expected to show. He calmed down a bit at finally seeing someone who didn't just feel bad for him. Sure, Mr. Darren didn't know what he did when he was away from school, yet he knew about Alex's uncle's death. Instead of the pity the other teachers displayed, he seemed to have a hint of understanding in his eyes as he gazed at Alex, waiting for an answer.

Alex slowly nodded. "Yeah." He was okay. For now, at least. Everything was off of his mind while he talked to Mr. Darren, and for that, Alex was glad.

Mr. Darren smiled warmly at him. "Good. Why don't we finish this discussion in my classroom? We have lots to talk about."

"So, first of all," Mr. Darren said as he leaned against a desk. "I want to talk to you about your grades."

Alex winced from where he was sitting in the desk beside Mr. Darren.

The teacher held up his hands. "You're not in trouble, Alex. I just wanted to talk about how we can improve your grades." He handed Alex a post-it note with a phone number.

Alex frowned, looking up at Mr. Darren in confusion. He just smiled at Alex's response and nodded to the paper. "I know how hard you been working this past month and I want to tutor you to help you catch up with the class. I know having a lot of homework every night isn't teaching you anything. It's just adding stress to your already stressful life, I assume?" he asked politely, no catch in his voice. Alex felt like he could be honest with Mr. Darren, so he mumbled an agreement.

"This is my personal contact information so you can call or text me if you are having trouble with something in particular. I know I'm not supposed to give my number to you or whatever, but I don't think you'll be backmailing me for an A like I feel like some of your classmates would," he joked. Alex cracked a small smile, relaxing. "Also, a few days a week, I would hope you wouldn't mind staying after school so I could teach you at a slower pace till you were caught up."

Mr. Darren was now staring at Alex calmly, waiting. Alex hesitated for a moment. Mr. Darren seemed to sense his dilemma, for he stood up and patted Alex on the back. "You don't have to decide right now. Just keep my number so you always have it, just in case."

Alex nodded numbly and stood up, slipping his backpack on before awkwardly nodding farewell. He had never had a teacher act like this towards him before. Never before had a teacher gone out of their way for him, and Alex suddenly knew his decision. Just as he was about to walk out of the classroom, he turned around. "I'll do it."

Mr. Darren turned around from where he had been packing his stuff up. "Are you sure?" he asked. "You don't have to if it will make you uncomfortable."

Alex shook his head determinedly. "I'm sure. This will probably help me a lot. Thank you for your help, Mr. Darren." He held up the post-it note for clarification and Mr. Darren smiled.

He walked around his desk towards Alex again and shook hands with him. "I'm pleased you agreed. We won't be able to start next week, but we can try the week after," he suggested.

"Sounds good," Alex mumbled, suddenly nervous. "Goodbye, Mr. Darren."

Mr. Darren clasped his hands together happily as he stood by the entrance of the classrom. "Goodbye. Have a good day, Alex."

Alex dipped his head and started walking down the hallway, a weight lifted off his chest. He was about to round the corner when Mr. Darren suddenly called out. "Alex, just so you know, you can text me if you need to talk about anything. I won't pry into your life, but I know that since your uncle's passing, you've been different. I won't grill you for information, but if you just need to let things out or want me to pray for you, I will. I'll listen."

Alex paused, frozen to the spot. He stood there, uncertain for a while, but after Mr. Darren was gone, Alex smiled a little more certain.

* * *

Alex had just unlocked his bike Wolf had picked up for him when hands shoved him from behind. Alex stumbled, steadying himself with the handle bars.

"You owe me, Rider," Mike snarled, grabbing a handful of Alex's uniform. Alec glance down, then back up to see hatred filling Mike's features.

"Why do I owe you?" Alex asked calmly, even though internally he was nervous. He was too dangerous to get in a fight with Mike. He didn't trust himself and there was no one around to witness it. He couldn't do it. He didn't care what rumors Mike spread about him, about how much of a coward he was.

Mike huffed. "You know why. Don't you try to pretend you don't know."

Alex frowned, then shrugged. "I really don't know why. Now can you release my shirt?" he requested.

Mike stared at him a second before releasing him and shoving him for good measure. "Just…just back down. I won't warn you again. They will come if you don't."

With that, Mike took off, disappearing in a flash. A black Camaro pulled up against the curb and the passenger window rolled down to reveal Wolf. "Get in, will you? Put your bike in the trunk."

Alex sighed, and did as he was told. As soon as he had shut the car door, Wolf sped off. Alex scrambled to buckle his seat belt, and stared at Wolf incrediously.

Wolf noticed him staring and shrugged, unfazed. "I just got back from a meeting with Mrs. Jones. She says it's not safe for you to ride your bike home from school, so I'm stuck with picking you up every day."

Alex tuned out the last part. "What did you say?" he asked.

Wolf glanced at him briefly before turning his eye back onto the road, knitting his brows. "Uh, I have to pick you up every day…"

Alex shook his head impatiently. "Before that!"

Wolf rolled his eyes at Alex's rudeness. "I said that I went to speak to Mrs. Jones. Is that what you just had to know?" he asked sarcastically.

Alex ignored him, absentmindly rubbing his chest from where he had been shot a little under a year ago. If Wolf went to talk to Mrs. Jones, that meant that they had been discussing him. Mrs. Jones had probably debriefed Wolf about Alex and his situation. His situation…

"Did she say anything about Jack?" he blurted out.

Alex watched as Wolf sat straighter, tensing up. "Your…other guardian?"

"Yes."

Wolf sighed, not answering but glancing at Alex hesitantly.

Alex finally broke after several minutes of Wolf repeatedly stealing glances at him. "Did she?!"

"I don't want to discuss this now," Wolf replied quietly, his hand clenching the shift tightening.

"Well, I do!"

Wolf suddenly turned off sharply, stopping the car on the side of the road, jerking them both back and forth as they came to a shaky stop. "Alex!" Wolf snapped. "I will not tell you again. We will discuss this when we get home. Until then, you can be quiet so I can focus on the road. You wouldn't want me to crash, would you?" he said tensely.

When Alex didn't say anything, Wolf leaned closer to him. "Understand?"

Alex sighed. "Yes."

Wolf leaned back, satisfied. Alex glared out the window as Wolf pulled onto the road and after a while, cracked open his window. Damp air refreshed him as the pair rode in silence for the rest of the trip. Alex was lost in thought as buildings past by, then pastures, then communities. He fought down the heavy darkness that was filling within him. Tears threatened to fall, but Alex took deep breaths, fixing his composure.

When he had gotten himself under control, he noticed more and more cars had filled the road and Alex realized it was already almost five, rush hour. He hadn't realized how long he was at school. Now that he thought about it, why was Wolf so late to pick him up? Mrs. Jones would have known what time Alex would have gotten out of school and would have not let the meeting have gone on so long. Some must have distracted her. An argument with Wolf? Why would Wolf be arguing with him, though?

Alex glanced over at Wolf, trying to notice something he hadn't before. Wolf gripped the steering wheel tightly, clenching it so hard that his knuckles turning white. His jaw was slightly taunt, and his eyes never strayed from the road once. He certainly was angry, but he couldn't be that mad at him, could he?

* * *

A little while later, Alex was startled by a door slamming shut and saw Wolf getting out of the car. They were at the house. Alex grabbed his backpack and followed Wolf and decided he would get his bike out later. Maybe he could convince Wolf to let him ride it when he met Tom this weekend. He had had a lot of time to think about it in the car since Mr. Darren had talked to him, and he knew he wanted to tell someone about what was going on. Tom was his best friend and he was just concerned for Alex, even though he could dig a little too deep sometimes. He at least deserved the truth. It's not like he could tell someone else. Telling Mr. Darren what he did when he was absent was not a good idea, and it was not him and Wolf were going to get down in a one on one talk about the deep stuff any time soon. He didn't know Wolf enough to.

When he got inside, he shut the door softly behind him. Wolf looked up from grabbing pots from the cabinets in favor to look at Alex. He seemed much more calmer, so maybe he wasn't about to drill into Alex and would be more lenient. Alex opened his mouth to speak, but Wolf interrupted. "Let me fix dinner, and you can do homework or whatever you need to do. Afterwards, we…we can talk. Don't try to pry for everything because you don't need to know everything."

Alex raised an eyebrow. "I don't need to know what Mrs. Jones told you about me? It's me we're talking about, isn't it?"

Wolf growled. "Yes, some of it is not for your ears though. And, for the record, it wasn't all about you. You're not that interesting for me to listen about for an hour."

"What was she talking about then?"

"It's none of your business, kid," Wolf said faltering a little bit before he shook it off and walked across the kitchen to get something out of the fridge. The fact that he had something in the fridge amazed Alex. He hadn't hardly used it all week besides the endless amounts of ice coffee, water, and milk.

Alex hung around for a minutes after nothing else was said, watching Wolf curiously. Finally, Wolf snapped, and said, "Go upstairs! Remember our deal?"

That sent Alex quickly upstairs without a moment spared. He couldn't afford to not hear what Wolf would tell him, and he did not want to anger Wolf again.

* * *

 **AN: I typed this really fast and I just ended up going in a totally different direction then I had originally thought ot. Anyway, Happy St. Patrick's Day.**

 **The stuff about Tom is mostly true. It's in the fifth book, Scorpia, near the beginning, so go check it out if you don't believe me. Right now, Alex cannot control his emotions all the time, and ones he doesn't want to feel are resurfacing when he doesn't want them to. I hope that explains Alex's attitude in this chapter. Also, what do you think Wolf is not telling Alex?**


End file.
